Dean Ambrose again picked the 'Grandest Stage' to take the biggest sh*t-kicking, but the bumps he absorbed in his ladder match at least upheld the illusion of purpose - here he was a lamb to Brock Lesnar's slaughter.
Largely forgotten thanks to the molasses-like pace of the card's latter half, this one-sided affair betrayed the position Ambrose was supposed to be in by virtue of the spot. As usual with Ambrose, too much of the build had been reduced to flippant comedy, but the payoff was no laughing matter.
This could and should have been a coming out party for the 'Lunatic Fringe' just a few short months away from his first World Title. Instead, he was put back his box by an uninspired (and reportedly uncooperative) 'Beast'.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
